Chapter 1: Awakening from a Mysterious Golden Plant
The last rays of sunlight danced across the jagged peaks of the Yablonoi Mountains, casting long shadows over the dense forest below. Alexei Mikhailov brushed a bead of sweat from his forehead as he knelt to inspect the roots of a scraggly herb poking out from the undergrowth. The herb, a pale-green plant with needle-thin leaves, was known locally as Mountain's Whisper, a valuable ingredient in treating frostbite.
Alexei tucked the plant into his satchel alongside an assortment of roots, leaves, and dried stems he had been collecting since noon. As a chemist in a small village on the outskirts of Siberia, it was his job to identify, harvest, and test plants for medicinal purposes. The locals depended on him for everything from treating common colds to concocting antidotes for venomous bites.
He glanced at the horizon. The sun was slipping below the mountains, and twilight had begun to blanket the landscape in hues of indigo and gold. He needed to hurry back before the woods grew too dark; the tales of wild animals—particularly the rumored Demon Bear—were not stories to dismiss.
Alexei swung his satchel over his shoulder and turned to leave. As he trudged back through the forest, the faintest flicker of light caught his eye. He stopped, frowning. High up on one of the mountainsides, a soft glow shimmered against the darkening sky. It wasn't the cold, silvery light of moonlight reflecting off snow. It was warm and inviting.
"Could it be a campfire?" he muttered to himself. The thought of someone stranded on the mountain tugged at his conscience. Rescuing lost travelers weren't common in these parts, due to the extreme distance and terrain between them and cities, however there were the occasional person.
Gripping his walking stick, Alexei began ascending toward the glow. The climb was steep and treacherous, the ground covered in loose stones and patches of ice. The temperature dropped sharply as he climbed, and the air grew thinner. His breath came in short puffs, his steps careful and deliberate.
After nearly an hour, he reached a small plateau. His heart raced—not from exertion, but from what he saw.
Nestled in a crevice between two boulders was the source of the light: a plant unlike anything Alexei had ever seen. Its translucent petals glowed with an ethereal green hue, and its stem shimmered like molten silver. The air around it hummed faintly, a barely perceptible vibration that resonated deep within him.
He stepped closer, his mind racing. Was this some bioluminescent phenomenon? A mutation caused by the harsh environment? Yet, as a chemist, he had never read or heard of anything like this.
The strange feeling grew stronger, this time centering in his liver and intestines, as though something inside him was being drawn toward the plant. He extended a hand, almost in a trance—
A guttural growl shattered the stillness.
Alexei froze. His blood turned to ice as he turned slowly toward the sound.
A massive brown bear stood at the edge of the plateau, its eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. The creature was abnormally large, easily twice the size of any bear Alexei had ever seen. Its fur was matted, and its muscles rippled beneath the coarse coat as it took a step forward.
It was no ordinary bear. This was the beast the villagers had spoken of in hushed tones. The Demon Bear, they called it, rumored to have killed livestock and scared off hunters.
Alexei's instincts screamed at him to run. He turned on his heel and bolted, his boots slipping on the loose gravel. The bear let out a deafening roar and charged after him.
His heart pounded in his chest as he stumbled toward the edge of the plateau. The glowing plant was directly in his path, but his panicked steps betrayed him. He tripped, sprawling onto the ground just beside the plant. Pain shot through his knees and palms as they scraped against the rocky ground.
The bear loomed over him now, its breath hot and foul, its eyes locked onto him with predatory intent. Desperation seized Alexei as his hand instinctively reached out to the glowing plant.
The moment his fingers brushed its petals, the strange sensation in his organs intensified, flooding his entire body. The world erupted into light—a blinding, searing brightness that consumed everything.
Alexei felt as though he were falling, his body weightless and untethered. The bear's roar faded, replaced by the sound of rushing wind and a deep, resonant hum.
_____
When he awoke, the sun was high in the sky, its golden rays filtering through a canopy of green. Alexei groaned, his muscles stiff and sore. As he tried to sit up, he realized he was surrounded by plants—lush, meter-tall plants that seemed to have sprung up overnight.
His eyes widened as he recognized some of them: Snowheart Lily, a rare herb used to treat frostbite; Dragonleaf, known for its potent healing properties; and Deadman's Ivy, a poisonous vine whose sap could paralyze within seconds. All of them were plants he had only ever seen in books, their habitats scattered across Siberia and beyond.
"What… what is this?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
His fingers brushed the ground, and he realized the earth beneath him was unusually soft and fertile, almost as if it had been enriched by some unseen force. He glanced at his hands and froze.
Faint, intricate patterns were etched onto his skin, glowing faintly with hues of light and dark green. His veins pulsed with a strange warmth, and he could feel an unfamiliar energy coursing through his blood—a vibrant, electric vitality that wasn't there before.
"Qi," he muttered, though he didn't know how he knew the word.
He stared at the glowing patterns on his arms, then at the lush plants surrounding him. A realization dawned, sending chills down his spine.
The stories, the myths about Qi—the ancient life force said to flow through all things—were they not myths? Were they real? And had whatever had happened to him last night awakened it in him?
But what did it mean?
And, more pressingly, what had happened to the bear?